The subject invention relates to turbomachinery. More particularly the subject invention relates to sealing between turbomachinery components.
In a typical turbomachine, seals are utilized at various locations to prevent fluid flow from leaking around a desired flowpath. For example, seals are provided between rotating bucket tips and a stationary casing to direct flow past the buckets rather than between the bucket tips and the casing. Seals may also be utilized between a rotor and a stationary component in the form of one or more packing rings. Typical seal configurations include labyrinth seals, brush seals, abradable seals, patterned abradable seals and compliant plate seals. A labyrinth seal, for example, in the turbomachine typically includes one or more teeth extending from a first component toward a second component to create a tortuous path for fluid flow between the components. During operation of the turbomachinery, however, the teeth may rub on the second component and become damaged thereby increasing a gap between the teeth and the second component and subsequently allowing for increased leakage which negatively impacts efficiency of the turbomachine.